Nectar Robbing—A Foraging Behavior

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It’s fun to catch a thief! Nectar robbing in action is always fascinating, and I love to share it. Whenever I have visitors to my garden, and the anise-scented sage (Salvia guaranitica) is in bloom, there will always be bees bypassing pollination to sip sweet nectar. Witnesses are always amused.

Nectar robbing is a foraging behavior where animals, mostly bees, bypass the flower’s natural opening, where pollen is found, and obtain nectar at the base of the flower’s corolla or nectar spur. In doing so, these robbers are stealing nectar without touching the flower’s reproductive structures.